Jonzu's Story
I ’m a New Yorker, born and raised, having grown up in the Bronx while hopping from borough to borough throughout my youth. I’ve worked as a freelance fashion stylist for the past seven years, and have also recently begun adult modeling. I live something of a double life, juggling my fashion career while also performing in porn, creating on OnlyFans, and working as a professional escort. Fashion has been a life-long dream. As a child, I fantasized about designing my own clothing lines, later taking design courses in high school and studying it in college. A fruitful fashion internship led to opportunities that allowed me to quit my retail day job and pursue a career in fashion. I’ve been a stylist ever since.
Modeling came about more recently. I had played around in front of the camera before, during my thinner and twinkier days, but the constant rejection from agencies and photographers was discouraging, and by age 23, I had put the idea of modeling on the back burner. Like many people, I struggled during COVID, and didn’t prioritize my physical and mental health. I binged everything from Game of Thrones to tequila. But since fashion styling work was so scarce during the pandemic, I decided to give modeling another push. I started doing home workouts, dropping from a 36-inch waist down to a circuit gay 27.
After getting absolutely shredded in my garage, I approached several photographer friends to test shoot for a portfolio. Before long, I was approached by more photographers and soon after found myself signed professionally as a model. My friends encouraged me to create an OnlyFans since I was in incredible shape and had been shooting increasingly risqué photos. After a few weeks of toying with the idea, I pulled the trigger. A few videos, a new Twitter account, and some nude shots later, I found myself with an amazing porn manager. In the past few months, I’ve moved on to shooting studio porn, which has been a wild adventure!
It was not quite as smooth a transition as I’ve made it seem. I’m a naturally shy person, and there was definitely some anxiety and nerves involved in those early shoots. I was always an oddball growing up, an outsider, uncomfortable in my own skin. It took some time to overcome that. My first gig was for Noirmale in California. I was a nervous wreck over the STD testing. Being a promiscuously slutty gay man, well, I get around. Even though I do my due diligence and get tested monthly myself, I still somehow expected those results to light up like a Christmas tree, but I got the all-clear. My first scene was with Armond Rizzo, a god among men. We met up beforehand and hit it off, but I still had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. I was overcome with a sort of imposter syndrome. Did I belong here?
We arrived at the mansion, signed paperwork, and presented identification. Then we proceeded to the photo shoot portion of the production, which by that time was very comfortable and familiar territory to me. I calmed down, loosened up, and began to have fun. Fast forward to the magic. The scene itself was a breeze. Once I tuned out my surroundings and focused on Armond, it felt completely natural. Of course, there were many moments when we were told to change it up, scooch to the right or move a hand, but I treated it, as I have learned to do ever after, as a great hookup mixed with a photoshoot. I wasn’t sure at first how well I would perform, but I learned that porn is about more than the sex itself; it’s about being in the moment, immersed in the scene.
I have taken on two different personas. In fashion and modeling, I’m Jonzu Jones. In porn, I’m Jordan Jameson. The primary reason for porn names, as anyone in the business will tell you, is to insulate your adult work from family, personal life, and other projects. Porn is still unfortunately somewhat taboo. I would like to someday have Jonzu as my only persona, but I need every advantage I can get, so for the time being I’m keeping them separate, with a wink.
I might still just be too new to porn, but everything still feels fresh and exciting! I never want to feel like I’m just showing up for another day at the office — I try to have fun on every shoot. None of this could have been possible had I not broken out of my shell in those early days, and become fully open and unafraid. My mindset now is to always try new things, to never stay comfortable. If something scares the shit out of you — do it!
My experience in porn has inspired me to push a more sex-positive agenda to coworkers in fashion as well as my family. I’m so lucky to have two incredible boyfriends, Zach and Collin, who ground me, challenge me, and love me to death. I live by the motto, “I’m not sure why people take life so seriously, it’s not like any of us make it out alive.” A morbid sentiment, but true.
What the last year has taught me above all is to be unabashedly and shamelessly you. It’s okay to be weird. It’s okay to be freaky. The idea of imposter syndrome, of feeling that you don’t belong, is something almost everyone experiences at times, and it’s comforting in a way to know that when you’re struggling, you’re not alone. You might spend a while wandering in the wilderness, but if you set your mind to it, you’ll find your path. Life is full of adversity, but you are stronger than you think.
Artist Notes
“Jonzu is modeling nude for his OnlyFans viewers. Flowers and other designs signify his fashion stylist side. The perforations denote opportunities for him in various fields.”
Published Apr 19, 2022
Updated Sep 7, 2023
Published in Issue XI: Slut